Air India rebranding: Take a look at the new logo and livery colours of the airline's revamped version

After acquiring a 100 percent stake in Air India in January 2022, via its subsidiary Talace Private Limited, for Rs 18,000 crore from the Indian government, Tata Sons finally unveiled the newly rebranded version of the airline with new livery colours and logo on Thursday evening (August 10, 2023). Sharing his views on the transformation, Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran said, "The new logo of Air India the Vista, signifies limitless possibilities. The Tata group has been working on this transformation for the last 15 months."

The old red swan logo with an orange Konark Chakra has been replaced with a modern logo, The Vista, with golden, red and purple colours. "It is inspired by the peak of the gold window frame, signifying limitless possibilities, progressiveness, and the airline’s bold, confident outlook for the future," the company said in a press release.

Air India rebranding: Tata spends Rs 3,310 crore on refurbishing aircraft; new livery colours and logo unveiled

Talking about the rebranding process at the event, Campbell Wilson, Air India's Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director said, "Our transformative new brand reflects an ambition to make Air India a world-class airline serving guests from around the globe, and that represents a new India proudly on the global stage." Furthermore, he continued, "We have spent around $400 million (approximately Rs 3,310 crore ) to refurbish our aircraft till now. All our legacy 777 and 787 Dreamliner planes will be refitted by next year."

The rebranding creates a more unified entity that marks the merger of Air India and Vistara. Expected to be completed by March 2024, the merger would allow Singapore Airlines to hold a 25 percent stake, which currently owns a 49 percent stake in Vistara. Additionally, Tata Group plans to launch a low-cost airline and may merge Air India Express and Air Asia India soon.

The rebranding process kicked off in December 2022, a few months after the Tata Group took over the airline. The process began when the Tata Group partnered with London-based brand and design company Futurebrands. And as the process progressed, the former even hired McCann Workgroup India to manage all brand promotion endeavors. According to The Economic Times, FutureBrand has worked with Bentley, American Airlines, and the London Olympics (2012) in the past.

Air India's iconic mascot, the Maharaja, will continue to be a part of the rebranding process. "Rumours of Maharaja's death are greatly exaggerated, he will live on," Campbell said at the event. He even revealed Air India will soon unveil a new fitter version of the mascot with gold and purple colour add to his look.

Addressing the airline's rebranding process, Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran said, "We are fully committed to this journey to make Air India a world-class airline. We are dedicated to enhancing all facets of our human resources, our fleet demands significant attention. While a substantial number of aircraft have been ordered, we need to renovate and elevate our existing fleet to meet acceptable standards."

According to Zee News, Air India has signed a $68 billion deal (approximately Rs 5,62,146 crore) with Airbus and Boeing for 470 new aircraft. The order includes 20 Boeing 787s, 10 Boeing 777-9s, 190 Boeing 737 Max, 210 Airbus A320/321 Neos, and 40 Airbus A350s.